How do you get five- and six-year-olds interested in health and safety?
Simple ? you take four registered nurses, some unique puppets, bright posters and skilled area physicians; mix them together in a classroom presentation; and presto, you have Hip, Health, Hurray!, a hands-on health and safety program.
Hip, Health, Hurray! is designed to introduce young children to several health and safety concepts such as hand washing, exercise, heart health, dental hygiene, nutrition, emergency numbers and stranger awareness. The program was designed by registered nurses Cheryl Bondy, Janice Ditri, Janet Pattison and Lorna Post-Powell, all from William Beaumont Hospital, as a part of their course work for a bachelors of science degree in nursing through the University of Detroit Mercy.
‘We picked the project ourselves,? said Post-Powell. ‘Most of us work with geriatric patients so we wanted to get out of our comfort zone.?
‘There’s needs in the schools right now, with funding cuts causing program cuts,? explained Bondy. ‘This was sort of a pilot program for the materials we are leaving with them that they couldn’t afford. We felt this was the best way we could contribute while completing our assignment.?
The four registered nurses contacted Lakeville kindergarten teacher Renee Green and asked her to be a mentor for the project. Green assisted the women with finding age appropriate topics and materials.
‘I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for the students,? said Green.
‘The kids just loved it,? she later added. ‘They kept saying this is so much fun. They really took a lot of the information in. They were completely engrossed.?
‘We couldn’t have done this without Mrs. Green,? said Post-Powell.
‘She was always so accessible,? added Ditri. ‘You could always get a hold of her.?
Hip, Health, Hurray! made use of models, movies, activity sheets, hands-on projects, puppets, skits, songs and professional speakers to grasp the children’s attention. Guest speakers included Dr. Kari Everett from Orion Pediatrics; Janet Wilson, a hygienist from Drs. Daniel and Donna Sahutske’s office; and Judith Witherspoon, a representative from Donald Shermans? State Farm Agency.
‘We used a lot of visuals: posters, puppets, etc.,? said Ditri. ‘We had teaching stethoscopes so they could all listen to their heartbeats. It was a lot of fun.?
The team took around seven weeks to prepare the program, with the women working outside of their regular job hours, class hours and school work – not to mention family and home time.
‘We learned that teamwork is really important,? said Post-Powell. ‘You really rely on each person to do their part.?
‘We also discovered how hard it is to be a teacher and put a program together,? added Pattison. ‘It took a lot of time and effort.?
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of these women, the Lakeville Elementary kindergarten program now has an established health and safety curriculum. In addition to the material and visual aids used by the nurses, Mrs. Green also has great presenters for future years – all of the guest speakers agreed to return and participate again.
‘This was just wonderful,? praised Green.
‘I think if we changed even one kid for the better with this program, we made our mark,? said Pattison. ‘It all comes down to one point: it’s never to early to begin learning about safety and health.?